Educating Youth Workers for Europe
Start date: Mar 16, 2015,
End date: Sep 30, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
Educating Youth Workers for Europe was an eight day training that gathered youth professionals (24) from Germany, France and Serbia for a learning opportunity through the exchange of best practical methods and theoretical content in international youth work in order to perform high-quality youth projects under the Erasmus+ and follow-up programmes in the future.
The project roots came from the fact that there is a growing number of young Europeans who are taking part in activities organised by youth associations, as well as the need for youth activities that will fill the gap for the young Europeans who are unemployed, are nor in education nor in training. Qualified and skilled youth workers are essential in creating interesting and meaningful activities for them, which will provide them with transversal skills necessary on the labor market, thus making them more competitive and increasing their chances to find a new job.
The aims of the training where:
- creation of a pool of trained and qualified youth workers who are equipped to face the challenges that arise in front of them in their work, are willing and capable to initiate and organize youth exchanges
- raise awareness of the importance of quality youth work
- share new methods and experiences that can be used to encourage youth participation
- to stress the importance of lifelong learning.
The apprentices and experienced youth workers in international youth where trained on the following topics:
- Basics of organizing intercultural exchange: Concepts of culture and Intercultural Learning
- Dealing with prejudice and conflict, especially in dealing with past;
- Importance of language / language animations;
- Role of the youth leaders/workers in an international team;
- Gender: Importance of the topic in organizing and carrying out youth exchanges
- Sustainability: Importance of the topic in organizing and carrying out youth exchanges
- Youth participation;
- Erasmus+ potential;
- Project development and application procedure;
- Legal aspects;
- Evaluation.
During the training non-formal methods where used, Decryptage, Language animation etc where introduced. Various forms of workshop styles where used (e.g. discussions, individual work, work in small trinational groups etc) with an aim to offer each participant a chance to find at least one style that best suits them. The way training was organized was to underlie the importance of experiential learning and experience sharing, so all participants where participating with the trainers' team in creating ''methods'' to be used. This was specially reinforced by "Daily reflections" that had the aim of preparation for reflection on YOUTHPASS competences, but also of exchange of ideas and suggestions on how to best answer the needs of the group in learning and developing.
The most important result of our the training is a group of youth workers who now have their knowledge about organizing youth exchanges enhanced, who got new inspiration and impulses to create international youth projects and who developed and grew professionally and personally. Indirectly, also the operative capacities of all their organisations where improved, because the participants brought in fresh perspective, new trends after the training.
Our aim that the project ideas developed during the training will result in the at least one project proposal submitted in the first next deadline of Erasmus+ was a success and a project under the reference number 2015-2-DE04-KA105-012760 with a title: "Chance takers and future makers - Youth against unemployment" is a direct result of skills and cooperation's developed on this training.
In the long run, our participants are multipliers who will in their daily work support young people with quality activities. This will contribute to personal and professional development of the youth, as well as in changing of the social situation of the many young people who will after participation in different activities organised be more competent in different areas.
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